Progesterone and Brain Injury in the News

"Progesterone appears to affect multiple physiologic processes that follow an acute injury. It reduces the cerebral swelling that leads to brain cells dying off, for example. Progesterone also may blunt cellular damage from free radicals and promote myelin production in damaged nerve cells, experts believe.

The Emory trial will eventually include 1,140 participants at dozens of participating trauma centers around the country. Results are expected within three years, although a safety monitoring board will examine preliminary results this summer and could halt the study if the data suggest that the drug is highly effective."Former editor of the British Medical Journal, Richard Smith, M.D., discusses progesterone as a possible treatment for brain injuries in a BMJ blog: "Stein has been working for years on the possible use of progestagens to treat traumatic brain injury. The idea emerged from the clinical observation that women do much better than men after traumatic brain injury, including stroke."

Fair victim making remarkable recovery WISH - ‎Apr 3, 2012‎ INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - "hormone is what may be behind Andrea Vellinga's amazing recovery. The State Fair accident victim is taking part in a cutting-edge clinical trial. Tuesday, in an exam room on the sixth floor at IU Health Methodist Hospital, ..."

Health: New Treatment Could Prevent Severe Disabilities In Trauma ...CBS Philadelphia — (excellent video) "It was the worst kind of accident, a motorcycle crash. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, and suffered a catastrophic brain injury. Doctors said he was close to death. If he survived he could be severely disabled. His remarkable recovery might be because of a new experimental treatment. Patients in the study, like Roger, won’t know until the study is over whether they got progesterone or a placebo. But the Huffman’s think he received the drug."

CDC - "Reducing Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in the US". A 3-part series on the Public Health aspects of TBI featuring, Lisa McKinney of CDC, Arthur Kellerman of RAND Corp and our own Dr. David Wright of Emory University. http://www.reachmd.com/xmsegment.aspx?sid=6561

Hidden in Plain Sight - Emory Health Magazine, Fall 2009: "Progesterone offers the hope of being the first new treatment for traumatic brain injury in 30 years and the first-ever safe and effective treatment. It was there, under our noses, the whole time."